The SitePoint Forums have moved.

You can now find them here.
This forum is now closed to new posts, but you can browse existing content.
You can find out more information about the move and how to open a new account (if necessary) here.
If you get stuck you can get support by emailing forums@sitepoint.com

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Since Netscape 6 is so revolutionary compared to all versions before it, including a complete rewrite of the code and internal structure, Netscape decided to skip a major version. Not only did they skip a version number but the name changed as well. It is no longer known as Navigator or Communicator but simply Netscape 6.

Maybe they wanted to get one up on Microsoft. People will see Netscape 6 and IE 5 (almost 5.5) and will go for Netscape because it is a generation 6 browser. I'd say it might win them a few newbies this way.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote/font><HR>Originally posted by adamfletch:Does anyone remember when Microsoft Work jumped from about version 2 to version 6.(I am not that sure about the numbers)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Another thing: NS6 doesn't work for me. I downloaded the files, my connection failed, I downloaded again, and 4 hours later it installed (26.4 dialup). I thought everything was fine, but when I launch "Netscape 6" I see only the splash screen and then nothing happens.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote/font><HR>Originally posted by freesources:I even think they already started on IE 6...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>They have started on it, from what I know.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote/font><HR>Could we sue Netscape (or AOL) because they confused us with their number skipping?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Netscape caused me emotional distress! They made me feel like I can't count the right way! It's not fair!

No. Every company skips version numbers. Access went from version 2 to 6, Visual Interdev went from 1 to 6. Its called version normalization. You know how confusing it is to consumers to remember they are using Word 6, Access 3, Excel 6 and Powerpoint 3?

But now they can say "yeah I use Office 95", which all have a version of 6.

Unfortunately, W3Nation needs to change their headline. Not only will there not be a version 5 of Netscape but the name was changed before M14 was released. Netscape 6PR1 when first released did indeed use the M14 engine.

If you go to Netscape's very own home page and look in the left hand column about 2/3rds of the page you will find a small text link to "Netscape 6". Clicking there takes you to the PR1 homepage.

Its version normalization. I can almost guarantee you that at or around the official release of Netscape 6, there will be a release of AOL 6.0 incorporating the new standards compliant browser.